The disturbance was just an episode, and everything returned to calm afterwards.
In the following weeks, the progress of both Hinotori Publishing and Kanto Manga Company accelerated.
Sales of "Weekly Boutique" gradually increased, but Weekly Shōnen's were even higher, remaining practically at two-thirds of the former's.
However, at that moment, Takumi was not in a hurry to launch One Piece. Now he has the advantage, and he can keep his trump card hidden. Kanto Manga Company must take other measures. They are too calm. The advertising offensive in the weeks following the disturbance was limited. Instead of boosting sales, it consolidated their current popularity.
"The Detective Sherlock 2" is even stranger. After several weeks in Weekly Shōnen, Haibara Ai's character reached first place in popularity votes. But The Detective Sherlock 2's popularity has not decreased. Even in "Weekly Boutique", this manga's voting rate has reached 30%, ranking first.
"Weekly Boutique" manga are selected from Diario Kanto's boutiques, and another one has been selected in recent weeks. The high number of votes for "The Detective Sherlock 2" shows that it is, without a doubt, Kanto's best manga, and Aika's strength should not be underestimated.
But after a few weeks of observation, Takumi found another answer to this phenomenon: "The Detective Sherlock's" plot develops very quickly.
The content of each issue is excellent, and the story's pace is very fast. The detective appears and repeatedly confronts Sherlock Holmes, and the relationship between the two quickly intensifies, which usually makes readers binge-read to the end.
"The Detective Sherlock" is like a speeding car. It doesn't aim to foreshadow anything and goes straight to the end. As it should be. This is very addictive for readers who follow it.
"Is he crazy?"
Takumi asks, not understanding why Kanto Manga Company or Aika are doing this. The single volume's release will take a long time, but at that rate, the story will end soon. Great, but what do we do now?
He sensed that Kanto might have a trump card up its sleeve, so he temporarily put One Piece aside and focused on Detective Conan's plot, which led to Weekly Shōnen's sales steadily increasing.
Other aspects: the collaboration between Hinotori Publishing and Sakura Books has deepened. Sakura Books Bookstore is satisfied with Takumi's impact. They promote Mirai-sensei along with Hinotori Publishing, and both companies benefit.
Takumi occasionally returns to the company to oversee the progress of other works. Manga, anime, and games are going strong, and employees are full of fighting spirit.
Most of the time, Takumi stays at home, drawing and playing the piano. He has more time to read books and accompany Aika, which makes her happy. Alice is still busy with work. She seems very busy during the holidays and only comes a few times when she receives manuscripts.
It's worth mentioning that the event Alice prepared for Takumi ran into an unexpected situation. After the proposal, Genji objected, as he wanted a grander event.
After internal discussions at Hinotori Publishing, the event was postponed to July. It's no longer a reader meeting and appreciation event, but a grander, more solemn celebration of Mirai-sensei's first debut anniversary.
This celebration will be jointly organized by Hinotori Publishing, Sakura Books Bookstore, Osaka Television, other cooperative companies, and even volunteer readers. It is said to be the largest manga celebration in history.
Alice even revealed to Takumi: "The concerts of Japan's top stars cannot compare to your celebration."
However, she only said this sentence and kept the rest of the content strictly confidential, which piqued his interest. Takumi was curious and couldn't help but ask Genji, but the old man just smiled and said: "Don't worry, we'll organize it."
Everyone kept it a secret, and Takumi had to give up.
Later, the midterm results of Osaka's N.º 1 High School were published. Takumi ranked third in the class, and Shiori remained first.
Shiori's academic performance did not decline at all, and her music and voice acting progressed rapidly, especially in dubbing. Now, some readers have discovered that there is a mysterious voice actor on the voice actor list for "Pokémon" and "Fate/Stay Night".
This mysterious voice actor is responsible for dubbing Saber, and her severe and beautiful voice has long captivated a large number of players. Therefore, a small group specializing in voice actors emerged on Mirai-sensei's home forum. Fortunately, Shiori's voice change is very powerful, and no one suspects her for the time being.
During the weekly holidays, Shiori continued to visit Takumi frequently. She was much more discreet, but she gave Takumi the feeling that she had become cunning. Shiori often took wonderful opportunities to launch an offensive against him, and on several occasions he was caught off guard.
In the last week of April, Takumi bought a copy of "Weekly Boutique".
Shiori sat beside him and planned to read it with him. The girl, happily, took Takumi's hand and said: "Takumi, you're starting to grow a beard."
At sixteen, Takumi grew a short beard. This is a stage every man must go through. Takumi felt it a few days ago. This incident made him feel a little melancholy. After all, people still have to mature. Anyone who is reborn will eventually reach adulthood.
Perhaps because the food and environment have improved, his beard appeared earlier than in his previous life.
It is very short and thin, like the fuzz on the surface of the body. Takumi did not plan to shave. His beard is very light. He shaved it for the first time at the age of twenty in his previous life. Back then, strangers could not see it without careful observation. In fact, many children's first beards are like this. This type of beard stops growing when it reaches a certain length and is practically imperceptible.
However, once shaved, it changes. It becomes thicker, darker, and grows quickly; this symbolizes maturity, representing that boys have an extra task that must be cleaned frequently.
Takumi is only sixteen years old and doesn't want to do that yet.
So he ignored Shiori's words, put "Weekly Boutique" on the table, and prepared to remove the plastic wrap.
This made Shiori feel a little unhappy: "Why aren't you surprised? Shouldn't boys show they hate beards at this age?"
Takumi smiled slightly: "If I express surprise, do you have any other ideas?"
He has discovered that Shiori is becoming more and more sophisticated during this stage. If given a chance, she will surely do something surprising.
"You still understand me..." Shiori smiled with narrowed eyes: "If you say you hate beards, I can pat my chest and promise you: I'll do something as troublesome as shaving yours! Isn't that handsome?"
She was full of fantasies: she could help the adult Takumi fix his clothes and shave, and then see him off every day. Many girls might hate these things, but this is Shiori's romance; she hopes to have such a close lover.
"Of course..."
Takumi sighed. Shiori is like this now, her growth rate is astonishing. Before, she confessed directly, but now she has learned to win over men with sweet words.
These words may not be very significant once or twice, but after hearing them for a long time, they will undoubtedly make you feel bad.
This girl is too perfect; she has many elements that Takumi envies, but...
"..."
Takumi shook his head, said nothing, opened "Weekly Boutique", and was drawn to the content on the cover. Below the title, a phrase read: "This issue of Express - 'The Detective Sherlock 2' has wonderfully concluded!"
"Finished?" Shiori saw the words on the cover and her eyes widened in surprise: "Finished!"
It's impossible. Did Kanto Manga Company give up on the agreement?
Takumi was stunned. He quickly opened the manga and his gaze fixed on the text of "The Detective Sherlock" for an instant. Then he went straight to the last page and looked at the place where the preview for the next chapter should have been written. Now there was a printed message:
"New serialization next week, Duke Anthony's life's work, the true second part of 'The Detective Sherlock', the waiting of hundreds of millions of people, Sherlock's son! The serialization of 'The Detective's Son' begins!"
After reading this sentence, Takumi understood everything. He knew why "The Detective Sherlock" had such a fast pace.
That manga was not a sequel, but a background story. It was a complementary ending to "The Detective Sherlock" forty years ago.
"The Detective Sherlock" tells the story of how Sherlock Holmes falls in love with a female detective in Japan. It's a foreshadowing, and the purpose is to introduce his son, the protagonist of "The Detective's Son".
"What a surprising twist!"
Takumi laughed. One Piece will no longer be alone.
- - - - - - - - -
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